Dr. Anna M. V. Bowden writes that crucifixion is not once and for all, and not over: "A focus on Jesus' crucifixion also encourages us to reckon with those who are suffering in our context. Who are the crucified among us?" (p.69)

As we journey through Lent, Bowden invites us to acknowledge that the "same forces of imperialism, indifference, hatred, and violence that crucified Jesus live on in our context."

Bowden observes that "in the United States, at the Southern Border, immigrant families in search of security and sustenance are judged as criminals and incarcerated unjustly. In cities throughout the world, the unemployed and low-wage workers bear the scars of an economic system that repeatedly lashes them."

Bowden continues: "In schools around the country, students carry bulletproof backpacks, afraid of another outbreak of mass violence and in hope of preventing the piercing of their bodies."

She urges us to stop "the crucifixion of our planet," (p.70.) to stop the human activities that tear the living, breathing earth limb from limb.

We may feel foolish at times, working for such profound transformation, living into God's unwavering love for all. Yet as the Apostle Paul says, "God's foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God's weakness is stronger than human strength." (I Corinthians 1:25)

Dr. Anna Bowden, Ph.D., teaches at Monroe Community College in Rochester, New York. Her insights above are drawn from Connections: A Lectionary Commentary for Preaching and Worship, Year B, Volume 2, Westminster John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky, 2020.